Tel Aviv, Feb. 16 -- Palestinian groups continue to hold 73 Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, "alive and dead," Dmitri Gendelman, an adviser to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, said.
"There are still 73 hostages being held in the Gaza Strip - alive and dead. The State of Israel has a moral and ethical obligation to do everything possible to bring home every single one of them, to the last one," Gendelman said on Telegram.
According to the adviser, 14 civilian hostages and five female soldiers were released from the Gaza Strip as part of the first stage of the agreement with Palestinian movement Hamas, which began on January 19. In addition, five Thai citizens were released unscheduled during one of the exchanges....